Lakers’ Jodie Meeks developing into a complete player

Lakers guard Jodie Meeks worked hard to maximize his opportunity to play more during the team’s injury-plagued season, and he plans to continue sharpening his skills during the summer. (File photo by Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press)

For every swished 3-pointer, drive to the rim or defensive stop, Jodie Meeks traces back to last summer when he spent his time at his Atlanta residence sharpening everything about his craft.

How to explain Meek’s career-high 15.6 points on 45.8-percent shooting? He took about 500-700 shots a day, with attempts coming off pick-and-rolls, one-dribble drives and pull-up jumpers. Those drives to the rim that no longer end in missed layups or awkward falls? Meeks worked on attacking the basket, while his personal trainer hit him with pads to simulate an opponent roughening him up. The unyielding hustle Meeks displays through both hot and cold shooting nights, surprising victories and ugly losses? Meeks usually relies on a strong work ethic to fix everything.

“Shooting the ball is what I’m known for, but I worked on my handle a lot and I worked on finishing at the rim,” Meeks said in an interview with this newspaper. “I wanted to come in and have a good all-around year.”

The Lakers (25-53) have noticed, entering Sunday’s game against the Memphis Grizzles (47-32) at Staples Center latching onto Meeks’ progression as one of the few feel-good stories of an otherwise sour season. So much that Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni has professed, “I love his game,” before praising Meeks’ work ethic, outside shooting stroke (a career-high 39.7 percent), finishing, backdoor cuts and defense.

“Jodie has been our most consistent performer all year,” D’Antoni said. “It’s fun to watch somebody get better. He’s gotten better in a lot of phases of the game. The guy is playing. His personality is, Jodie comes to work everyday and puts his hat on and does what he’s supposed to do. He’s getting some rewards for it.”

The biggest reward could happen this offseason.

Meeks will become a free agent in July after making $1.55 million this season, and he will likely receive a pay raise.

“I like the city and love it here,” Meeks said about the Lakers. “The coaching staff is great and it’s a storied organization. I always pictured playing in a organization that’s prideful about winning. I love it here and hope I can stay a long time.”

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The Lakers want to re-sign Meeks, too, though they are mindful of the potentially lucrative offers he could attract on the open market. Meeks’ future also partly hinges on how the Lakers fill out their roster this offseason.

“I love it here, man. It’s great weather, first of all,” Meeks said. “It’s not like you go to someplace in Chicago where it’s 20 degrees below zero. It’s a good place to play, a great organization and something a basketball player wants to be a part of because of the history. Hopefully I return. But with the nature of the business, you never know.”

Yet, amid a failed season in which the Lakers’ three remaining games serve no purpose other than evaluating their roster, Meeks appears among the team’s most improved players.

Last season with the Lakers, Meeks’s 7.9 points per game on 38.7-percent shooting featured both feast and famine performances. He scored in double figures in 25 games, while he shot 25 percent or worse from the perimeter in 25 other contests. This season, Meeks remains the Lakers’ third-leading scorer and has posted double digits in 63 of 74 games. Last season, Meeks went 46.27 percent from shots at the rim, leaving the majority of Lakers fans at Staples Center gasping anytime he charged toward the basket. This season, Meeks has converted on 58.05 percent of those attempts, prompting those same fans to stand up in anticipation.

“He’s going stronger at the rim and not worrying about if his shot will be blocked,” said Lakers forward Jordan Hill, who often joined Meeks for his daily two-hour workouts at his Atlanta residence. “He’s going to the rim a lot harder. He wasn’t a good finisher last year. That is a big change this season.”

The reason for the change?

“Sometimes I didn’t get the call and I would throw up a crazy shot,” Meeks said. “This year I’m trying to focus on not worrying about the calls. I’m trying to finish a layup. That goes along with the opportunities I’ve been given. I get to feel my way around, adjust to the calls and get the shots I’m capable of making.”

There marks another big difference between Meeks’ first season with the Lakers last year.

Long-term injuries to Kobe Bryant (left Achilles tendon, fractured left knee), Steve Nash (nerve irritation in back) and Jordan Farmar (torn left hamstrings, strained right ground) propelled Meeks to play a career-high 33.1 minutes per game. He has averaged 24.3 minutes during his six-year NBA career, including 21.3 minutes last season with the Lakers.

Meeks adjusted to the heavier workload by reducing his sugar intake, replacing fried foods with vegetables and lowering his body fat percentage from nine to six percent.

“It’s not easy playing all of these minutes, but I’m not complaining either,” Meeks said. “It’s fun to be out there for so long. For the first time in my career, I’m getting a lot of opportunity to play. So it’s a good opportunity to come in and show what I can do.”

Meeks hardly seems satisfied, noting he will spend this upcoming summer sharpening his ball handling, perfecting his finishing and ensuring his shooting remains consistent. But with the Lakers approaching an offseason filled with many glaring needs they hope to address through the draft and free agency, Meeks has emerged as one of the top in-house candidates capable of adding depth to their roster.

“Coach D’Antoni gave me a lot of confidence to go out there and play freely,” Meeks said. “He doesn’t worry about mistakes. As long as you’re playing hard, that gives you a lot of rope to do what you have to do and play your game.”